The 2006 South Asian Students’ Alliance (SASA) is ready to take a bite out of the Big Apple as SUNY Stony Brook announced today that it will be hosting the annual student conference in New York City. Held at the host hotel The New Yorker from January 12th through January 16th, the conference will combine educational seminars with a highly competitive cultural competition to create an educational yet entertaining environment. The 2006 Conference Presenting Sponsor is DirecTV while the Culture Show Presenting Sponsor is Shaadi.com.

“SASA 2006 will be without doubt the most explosive SASA yet. There is no stage like New York City and each event at SASA will be an exemplary example of why New York City is the entertainment capital of the world. We are very excited to be the representatives of NYC and are dedicated to adding to the wonderful history that is SASA,” said Sadia Arshad, SASA 2006 Conference Chair from Stony Brook.

S.A.S.A aims to raise South Asian awareness through culture, education and entertainment and is the largest conference for college students of South Asian descent in North America. S.A.S.A. was formed as a support network targeting South Asian Students on the East Coast and has since surpassed any and all expectations by broadening its horizons to schools all over the United States. S.A.S.A. has become a continental force, culminating its efforts in an annual conference that moves from city to city each year. The conference serves as a forum for individuals to share ideas and experiences from others that have attained academic and financial success. With an attendance of up to 3500 students, the conference provides prominent role models from diverse backgrounds. 

With names like Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Gurinder Chadha, Chitra Benarjee, Gotham Chopra and Raj Bhakta on the roster of past SASA speakers, the commitment to presenting only the highest caliber members of the South Asian Society is apparent. This year will prove to be no different as some of the speakers for the 2006 conference include: Famed fashion designer Anand Jon; Super Model Saira Mohan; Publisher of Anokhi Vibe Magazine Rajwant Girn; from NBC’s The Apprentice Toral Mehta and a returning SASA favorite Dr. Vijay Mehta. Previously of Bad Boy and Ruff Ryders, Virgin Record’s Leota Blacknor will also be in attendance this year to provide her insight to the record industry. 

In efforts to keep the face of SASA fresh, new events to this year’s SASA include the South Asian Talent Forum, a forum developed to increase the communication between those in the entertainment industry and those trying to break through. Those who have made it will share techniques and insider do’s and don’ts to thriving artisans in varied categories. Also new this year is the addition of SASAPalooza, an hour long showcase of the hottest South Asian Talent in North America taking place at the Saturday Night Culture Show after party at the Roseland.

The enormity of the SASA conference has been noticed not only by students around the country but has also made an impression on major companies in the U.S. This can be seen in the decision made by DirecTV to be the Presenting Sponsor of S.A.S.A. 2006 after a successful 2005 marketing campaign with the title sponsorship. It follows in the steps of Ford Motor Company, the 2004 Presenting Sponsor. The marketing opportunity available at the conference is unparalleled in its deliverance of 3500 South Asian college students within the age bracket of 18-25; such targeted direct marketing is difficult to come by. DirecTV has realized the power of the youth generation and is providing programming that is specific to not only this age group but also to the South Asian demographic. For more information on DirecTV’s South Asian programming, you can visit their website, www.DirecTV.com. The Presenting Sponsor for the Culture Show for 2006 will be Shaadi.com (www.shaadi.com), a Matrimony Portal created in 1999 that contains profiles of people all around the world and boasts of 5 million members.

Registration for the conference is currently underway on the official website, www.SASAWEB.org. Additional information regarding performances, registration and sponsorship can be found on the website or can be emailed to inquiry@sasaweb.org. The 2006 S.A.S.A. sponsors include, Presenting Sponsor DirecTV, Presenting Culture show sponsor Shaadi.com, Media Platinum Sponsor – The Indian Express North American Edition, Intense Management, DesiMatch.com, Anokhi Vibe Magazine, Fropper.com, Desiclub.com, Friendster, Mybindi.com, and The Shiv Show, and Nirali Fashions.